Everyone boards the Zoldycks' private airship—almost as large as the one used by the Hunter Association. However, unlike that one, this vessel is painted white and looks inconspicuous, blending easily into the clouds. It's clearly built to avoid attention and not to announce who owns it to the entire world.
Now gathered on the main deck, Zeno nods at the three unknown assassins.
Illumi speaks up. "Grandpa, who are our guests? Could you introduce us?"
"Who do you think I am? They can introduce themselves," Zeno replies, unmoved.
"Greiffon, from the Numar Kingdom," says the first assassin—a middle-aged man who appears ordinary, but wears an oversized coat that hides his figure and possibly more.
Is he carrying weapons with him? Maybe poison? Must be, something like that.
"Numar Kingdom? Never heard of it," another assassin comments.
Me neither. Good question!
"Northwest of Kakin," Greiffon says, not missing a beat. "The island is shaped like an open circle, with another island in the center. Seriously, educate yourself. You look even older than me."
The man who'd questioned him gives a sharp smile. "Dantu. From Yorknew. I'm a Hunter and part-time assassin. I hate uncivilized countries. I like big cities. So this mission is absolute torture. This backwater land of barbarians disgusts me, but I need the cash."
Come to think of it… I haven't asked about the payment yet… well, I got training, a spar, and the knife, that alone is almost enough for me. This guy, however, is clearly interested in money. Seems like a crazed killer.
Auren eyes Dantu—he's openly armed with several firearms: a sniper rifle slung across his back and pistols on both sides of his waist. Clearly not trying to hide anything.
Finally, the tallest among them steps forward. He's very tall—close to Silva in size, but leaner and carries something long and wrapped in cloth on his back.
"Larazul, from the Kakin Empire," he says. "Though I operate globally, so my home country is irrelevant."
All eyes now turn to Auren.
"I'm Auren from Meteor City," he says simply. Then he looks at Larazul. "Are you a spear user?"
"Indeed," Larazul replies, studying him in return. "Interested in spears?"
"I am," Auren says with a calm smile. "After this mission, I might want to hire you for a bit of teaching—if you're interested. I'll pay well."
"Maybe. Let's finish this mission first." Larazul turns toward Zeno. "So? What's the plan?"
"No plan needed," Zeno says casually. "We and our butlers will handle the majority of the assault. I hired you all for one specific role."
He gestures between them.
"Larazul, you're the strongest in direct combat among the three of you," Zeno says. "Auren here is about as strong—maybe stronger. You'll team up with him."
The three assassins blink, startled. They stare at Auren with barely disguised disbelief. However, they quickly accept it—Zeno's reputation isn't one you question lightly, and he is not the type who lies while on a job, as assassination is his entire life and something he takes very seriously.
Zeno continues, "Your job is to block the backdoor entrance. Our main target, Kolmata, and any secondary targets—his officials, guards, family members—are located in a large mountain castle. It used to be the regional seat of governance. Now, it's his personal fortress."
"There are only two paths up that mountain. Silva, Illumi, and I will take the front entrance and do most of the work. I'll tell you the details when we are there. You two will take the back route—reinforced by my best butlers. If someone tries to flee or reinforcements arrive, your job is to get rid of them."
"Greiffon, Dantu—you two, aided by the rest of the butlers, will infiltrate the catacombs. The castle has a network of hidden tunnels leading outside. We've already mapped them, and the butlers will guide you. Your job is to wait at those exits and kill anyone trying to flee."
So there's no way out… It's a tight, confident strategy. Brutal, but effective. It all depends on how well we fight.
"That's all. Please enjoy the flight. If you need anything, speak to any butler," Zeno says, disappearing into the airship's interior—just as it begins to lift off.
Auren sighs and follows. Two butlers—one male, one female—escort him. Both tall, both strong-looking, both dressed in sharp black suits.
Looks like Canary didn't come with us… Well, she's still too young for something like this. For now, back to training. I hope Zeno followed through on my request.
He turns to the butlers. "Can you show me to my cabin? I also requested a few things."
"Of course, Master Auren," the woman replies with a bow.
They lead him towards the main corridor where the cabins are located and into a medium-sized cabin. The cabin consists of just one large room with a small bathroom tucked to the side.
Inside is everything he asked for—and more.
Weight machines, dumbbells, heavy bars. Resistance gear, supplements, protein powder, a stockpile of energy drinks, and piles of calorie-dense food.
Perfect. I owe Zeno for this. With this much gear and supplies, I can train almost as effectively as I did in the mansion. Even better—I don't have to leave my room.
Alright… first, let's check for cameras. This could take a while.
After a thorough inspection, Auren finally gets to work—slipping back into his self-designed training loop.
He keeps to himself. Aside from meals and a few brief walks across the ship, he barely leaves the room. He doesn't even see the other assassins—they're all holed up too, which suits him just fine as he is not in the mood to socialize and wants to focus on his training.
Five days pass, and Auren spends his entire day focused on improving his physique, desperately making up for his weakness.
He trains with Zetsu, pushes his body to its limit, then heals it using Azure Restoration—concealed with In, just in case. He eats over 15,000 calories a day, focusing mostly on protein and sugary snacks, for a quick energy boost. His body is already showing signs of improvement as he is visibly building up muscles.
On the sixth day after dinner, Illumi approaches Auren, which shocks and surprises him.
"Auren, do you want to chat for a while?" he asks.
"Sure, Illumi," Auren responds.
Auren follows Illumi into a bar, where he leads him towards a couch in the back, where they promptly sit down.
A butler immediately approaches them to take their order. Illumi requests a whiskey on the rocks. Auren, after briefly glancing at the menu, orders the most complicated cocktail available—without alcohol, of course.
"Interesting choice. Well, I guess you shouldn't drink alcohol yet," Illumi comments, as if suddenly realizing the fact that Auren isn't even thirteen years old.
As the drinks arrive, they both take a sip. Auren enjoys his drink immensely, as it's essentially just a fancy mix of fruit juices with ice, syrup, and decorative garnishes.
"What do you do all day, Auren? I'd like to get to know you a little better," Illumi says calmly.
I think… I know what this is about. He probably wants to befriend me because I'm relatively strong, in case he ever has a mission that requires backup. If that's really his goal, I have no reason to refuse. But it could also be that either Zeno or Silva told him to get close to me. Either way, I need to be careful… he could easily kill me in an instant. For now, I should be safe, since he knows my relationship with Buno and Bunu, and he wouldn't want to cross his grandfather. I need to watch my step carefully. And most importantly, I have to avoid even mentioning Killua.
"I just became a Hunter. After that, I challenged Heaven's Arena and became a Floor Master. I guess for now I'm just training and collecting knives. Honestly, I can't say I'm a very interesting person," Auren explains.
"Don't sell yourself short, however, I expected you to be an assassin. Grandpa praised your skills. He told me that talent-wise, you're not behind us Zoldycks."
!!
"That's a nice compliment," Auren says, taking another sip before continuing, "I've learned assassination techniques, but for now, I don't think assassination is my main interest. I want to focus more on direct and open fights. That doesn't mean I'm uninterested or that I look down on it. I mean, I accepted this mission, after all. It's just that assassination isn't my current focus. Still, I'm always open to interesting and worthwhile … endeavours."
"I might need some help from time to time," Illumi says, taking out a card. "Would you be interested in exchanging contacts?"
Auren nods and hands him one of his own cards.
Finally, Auren asks him, "Any input about the mission? I haven't heard much about the former Republic of Tracha or that clown of a king Kolmata."
"If Grandpa praised your skills, you don't need to worry," Illumi assures him. "That king probably has his military and a lot of strong bodyguards under his control, but they're all amateurs. The real problem is that he's paranoid and stressed out, and the former Republic is on the brink of collapse. He's very cautious. We know he has at least two dozen Nen users working for him. He spent half of his country's fortune just to hire them. That's the only reason why we needed additional people. We're assassins, not fighters. Nen is deep and complicated; a battle can end with just one successful activation of a Hatsu. Sometimes, raw strength isn't even relevant," Illumi explains calmly.
"I know," Auren replies. "I wish it were different, but that's just reality. Depending on circumstances, even the strongest Nen user can be killed by a group of weaklings if caught by the wrong Hatsu. With strict enough conditions, any Hatsu can become incredibly powerful."
"That's exactly it," Illumi agrees. "A professional assassin never even gives his enemy a chance to use their Hatsu. They'll die without knowing what hit them." He snaps his fingers. "They just die, completely clueless. That's why this mission is different. Our target is a paranoid madman who believes everyone is out to get him. But the pay is worth it and there is more. It's been quite a while since we've been hired by a prestigious client like this. Ah, but maybe I shouldn't mention that to you."
Probably a member of the V5… or maybe they all put in the request together.
"Let's talk more once the mission is over," Auren suggests, emptying his cocktail.
"Nice talking to you," Auren says to Illumi, who, for the first time, smiles a little and responds, "Likewise."
Still unsure about Illumi's true intentions behind befriending him, Auren continues focusing on his training.
Finally, on the last day, he stops his training a little early and goes to bed, knowing tomorrow will be the day of the assassination.
On the eighth day, the butlers, on behalf of Zeno, gather everyone in the large lounge.
It's time…!
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